Securing ring for a rectangular container



April 10, 1962 F. MUHLHOFF SECURING RING FOR A RECTANGULAR CONTAINER Filed Dec. 18, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VE N TO I; Rum/:0 xvxu lid/"F April 1962 F. MUHLHOFF 3,028,993

SECURING RING FOR A RECTANGULAR CONTAINER Filed Dec. 18. 1957 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR fk/E'DR/CH MUHLHOF'F am M Q0 1444 ATTORNEYS United States Patent Gfiice 3,028,993 Patented Apr. 10, 1962 3,028,993 SECURING RING FOR A RECTANGULAR CONTAINER Friedrich Muhlhotf, Koln=Bickendorf, Germany, assignor to Firma Mauser Kommandit-Gesellschaft, Kain-Ehrcnfeid, Germany Filed Dec. 18, 1957, Ser. No. 703,609 Claims priority, application Germany Apr. 4, 1957 3 Claims. (Cl. 220-46) The present invention relates to a securing ring or element for rectangular containers having removable closure members.

Securing rings for round containers, having removable closure members, are usually formed of a U-shaped metal band which encompasses the rim, of the container and the rim of the closure member.

A stretching or tensioning device as a tension lever, is used to tighten and stretch the band on the container so that the U-shaped arms cause the cover and an underlying packing to be pressed onto the container proper. However, such a tension ring cannot be used for containers rectangular in cross section, not even if the ring is preshaped to abut the rounded comers of the container since, when the ring is tightened at one portion thereof, the tensioning pressure cannot be transmitted to the straight sides of the ring due to the rounded corners of the container.

In view of the foregoing, it is one of the primary ob jects of the present invention to provide means ensuring uniform transmission of the tensioning force to all sides of the rectangular ring when applied'to a correspondingly shaped container.

Another object of the present invention is to provide means conducive to the construction of a tension ring for a rectangular container in which the braking effect at the rounded corners of the container, which prevents the transmission of the tension pressures, is neutralized.

Another object of the present invention is to provide means affording an eflicacious construction of a tension ring for a rectangular container which :has sufficient resiliency in the construction thereof so that when it is ten sioned, the tensioningpressures will be transmitted to all sides of the ring in asubstantially equal and uniform manner.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a tension ring of the described type which is simple in construction, efiicient in operation, and of relatively low cost to manufacture.

The above listed and additional objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from a reading of thefollowing description taken in connection with the appended illustrative drawings of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a securing ring pursuant to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of .a container provided 'With'the ring illustrated in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2 and illustrates another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3 and illustrates a modification; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of a container with the closure ring positioned therein.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 5 in detail, there is shown a securing ring 1 for releasably locking an end closure member 4a in position on a hollow or tubular container or receptacle 2 which is rectangular in cross-section. The container is provided with the hollow, preferably rectangular body member 2a, which can be formed of any suitable material, such as, for example, paperboard, and is provided adjacent the upper end thereof with a peripheral indentation 3. The body member is provided with rounded corners at said upper end thereof. A sleeve 2b,

preferably formed of a suitable metal, encompasses thev body member 2a at the upper end thereof to strengthen the body member thereat. Said sleeve overlies the upper marginal edge or bead 2c of the body member to provide a reinforced rim 2d, the sleeve extending, as at 2e into the peripheral indentation 3 so as to be properly positioned thereby. A packing ring 5, preferably formed of rubber, is mounted on the rim 2d. The open end of the body member 2a is closed by the cover or closure member 4a which may be formed of metal, plastic or other suitable material. The closure member is of rectangular configuration and is provided with a raised flange or rim 4 which overlies and engages the packing ring 5.

The rectangularcover 4a is releasably locked in position by a tensioned closure ring 1 made according to the present invention. The ring 1 is preferably formed of steel or other suitable ductile metal having the required degree of resiliency. The opposite ends lid-1a of the ring are drawn or pulled together by a conventional pivoted tension or toggle lever 9 provided with a ring 9a which is carried on an extension piece it? fixed on one end and is releasabiy engageable with the hook 912 fixed on the opposite end to pull the ends lll1(l together for locking said ring in position.

Ring 1 is formed of a continuous band or vertically disposed body portion 111 which extends f om one end 1a 'to the other end 1a. At its longitudinal side opposite the ends 1a1a, the band is provided with an'upper inwardly extending substantially horizontal flange 6b and with a lower inwardly extending curled flange 6 of substantially Ushape. In opposition to said flanges 6b and 6, the band is provided with the upper inwardly extending substantially horizontal flanges fizz-6a which extend longitudinally from the ends 1tZ--1 1, and with the lower inwardly extending curled flanges 6c-6c of substantially U-shape. It will be understood that the combined extent of the short flanges 6a6a is substantially equal to the extent of the fiange'db and that the combined extent of the short flanges 6c-6c is substantially equal to the extent of the flange 6.

At each of the opposing short or transverse sides thereof, the band is provided with an upper inwardly directed substantially horizontal flange 7 and with a lower inwardly directed curled flange 7a of substantially U-shape. Each associated pair of upper and lower flanges cooperate to provide clamping means at both of the longer sides of the band and at both of the shorter or transverse sides of the band.

The band is rounded at the four corners 20, 21,22 and 23 thereof. It will be noted that the previously described paired flanges at the four sides of the band terminate short of the four rounded corners thereof so that all of said corners may be free of clamping or gripping means, as at the sides of the band. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the diagonally opposite corners Zti-ZZ are free of clamping or gripping flanges. However, it is within the scope of the present invention to selectively provide short gripping flanges at the rounded corners, if desired. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a short upper inwardly directed substantially horizontal flange 8 and a companion short lower inwardly directed curled flange 8a are provided at each of the opposing diagonally related corners 21 and 23. a

In operation and application, the ring 1 is mounted on the container or receptacle 2 in the manner shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. it will be noted that each of the lower flanges 6, 60, 7a and 8a are complementary to the body indentation 3 and the sleeve indentation 2e and extend into the latter to abut under an overlying portion of the sleeve indentation. The various upper flanges may be somewhat arcuate and overlie the upper rim 4 of the container closure 4a so as to clamp the latter toward the body rim 2d. When the tension lever 9 is manipulated to the closed or operative condition thereof shown in FIG. 1, the ring 1 is stretched or tensioned with the tensioning force applied to all four sides of the band 1b. In this connection, it will he noted that since the various side flanges do not extend into the rounded corners of the tension ring 1, the corners do not interfere with or prevent the transmission of the tensioning force, applied by the lever 9, to all four sides of the ring or band. Consequently, the band is tensioned uniformly throughout the extent thereof so as to tighten and secure the cover do against the packing ring 5 evenly throughout the extent of the latter. It will be noted that the various flanges are integral with the band 1b and are interrupted at the corners of the band.

Referring now to FIG. 3 in detail, there is shown a container or receptacle 2 which in all respects is similar to the container 2 shown in FIG. 2, the same portions having similar reference numerals. However, in the present embodiment, provision is made for a tension ring which is similar in all respects to the tension ring 1., except that the ring 10 is formed of a flexible or elastic plastic material or plastic composition, such as polyethylene. The ring 10 is also provided along its longer sides with the paired flanges 6b6 and 6a-6c, respectively, and along its shorter sides with the paired flanges 77a, the flanges being omitted in the corners, except that if desired, certain of the corners may have the flanges 88a which are discontinuous relative to the adjacent side flanges. The ring 10 functions in the same manner as the ring 1 to secure the cover 4a on the rectangular container with an even tensioning pressure applied throughout the periphery of the upper end of the container.

In order to avoid braking effects, the plastic ring 10 may be provided with rigid inserts which also serve to prevent both longitudinal deformation thereof and the adhesion thereof to the container and cover rims.

In this connection, a modified form of plastic tension ring is shown by the ring 11 illustrated in FIG. 4. The ring 11 is formed of plastic material but is provided with an inert or reinforcement 12 formed of a band of spring steel enclosed in the body portion 11a thereof from which the paired upper and lower flanges extend. The steel band 12 functions also as a good support to which the tension lever 9 and the hook 912 can be suitably secured, as by rivets or other fastening means.

Various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and it is intended that such obvious changes and modifications be embraced by the annexed claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A tensioned securing ring for a container having a rectangular opening and a rectangular rim with substantially vertical side walls with rounded corners and provided with a removable end closure member adapted to overlie a packing element disposed on the top face of said rim, said securing ring comprising four substantially vertically disposed peripheral side walls arranged in a rectangular pattern with said walls being disposed substantially perpendicular to the plane of such pattern, said ring being dimensioned to encompass the container rim and the overlying packing element and end closure member, a clamping flange extending inwardly from the top and bottom of all four of said ring walls for clamping said end closure member on the container rim, means for tensioning said ring walls, means to effect the transmission of the stress developed by said tcnsioning means to all four walls of said securing ring, said transmission means comprising arcuate corner portions having interior faces for overlying and container rim substantially paralleling the rounded outer faces of said side wall rounded corners which corner portions are free of clamping flanges so that the corners of said container do not act as a brake to prevent the transmission of said stress, said securing ring being formed of a resilient plastic material and having a rigid reinforcing strip provided in said ring along a substantial portion of its total length.

2. A closure construction including a container having a top opening including a peripheral rim of substantially rectangular pattern provided with substantially vertical side walls rounded at the corners, a peripheral indentation formed below said head rim side Walls, a securing ring having four substantially vertical side walls arranged in a rectangular pattern with said walls being disposed substantially perpendicular to the plane of such pattern and being dimensioned to encompass said end closure member and overlie associated side walls of said rim, a resilient clamping flange extending inwardly from the top and bottom of all four sides of said ring side walls for clamping said end closure member on said rim, means for tensioning said ring side walls, and means to effect the transmission of the stress developed by said tensioning means to all four sides of said securing ring, said transmission means comprising arcuate corner portions having interior faces overlying and substantially parallel to the rounded outer faces of said n'm rounded corners, which arcuate corner portions are free of clamping flanges and substantially parallel so that the corners of said container do not act as a braking means to prevent the transmission of said stress, said inwardly extending clamping flanges including upper flanges overlying said packing element and lower flanges seating in said peripheral indentation.

3. A closure according to claim 2, wherein said tensioning means includes latch means for drawing said side walls and rounded corners of said securing ring into engagement with the associated portions of said rim.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 701,576 Kirshner June 3, 1902 857,680 Schulz June 25, 1907 1,901,699 Burpee Mar. 14, 1933 2,215,076 Ashe Sept. 17, 1940 2,236,302 Scott Mar. 25, 1941 2,592,209 Stamper Apr. 8, 1952 2,750,064 Clarke June 12, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 372,707 Italy July 6, 1939 955,646 Germany Jan. 3, 1957 

